Anchoring device for hospital bed

ABSTRACT

To prevent wheeled beds from rolling away when a patient attempts to climb on, an anchoring device is attached to the footboard or other convenient position. A vertical rod is slidably mounted in the casing of the device and preferably biased upward by a spring. A handle on the rod extends out through a vertical slot in the casing and may be depressed to lower the rod and turned sideward into horizontal slots to lock the rod in depressed position. A suction cup on the lower end of the rod anchors the rod and thus the bed to the floor when the handle is depressed. The device may be inactivated by turning the handle outward of the horizontal slots and lifting the rod either manually or by spring action. A hole in the suction cup is located so that when the rod is fully depressed the rubber surrounding the hole prevents air from entering the cup, but, when the rod is slightly elevated, air enters the cup through the hole, breaking the vacuum and preventing floor tiles from being pulled off the floor. The device may be attached to gurneys, wheelchairs and other wheeled equipment.

United States Patent [1 1 Boudewyn Apr. 22, 1975 l l ANCHORING DEVICEFOR HOSPITAL BED Adrian T. Boudewyn. Daly C it). Calif.

[73] Assignee: Jerry A. Levine, Burlingarne. Calif.;

a part interest 22 Filed: Dec. 28, 197sv 211 Appl. No.: 429,112

[75] Inventor:

Saunders...

Dean 16/44 Primary E.\aminerCasmir A. Nunberg Attorney, Agent, orFirm.lulian Caplan [57] ABSTRACT To prevent wheeled beds from rollingaway when a patient attempts to climb on. an anchoring device isattached to the footboard or other convenient position. A vertical rodis slidably mounted in the casing of the device and preferably biasedupward by a spring. A handle on the rod extends out through a verticalslot in the casing and may be depressed to lower the rod and turnedsideward into horizontal slots to lock the rod in depressed position. Asuction cup on the lower end of the rod anchors the rod and thus the bedto the floor when the handle is depressed. The device may be inactivatedby turning the handle outward of the horizontal slots and lifting therod either manually or by spring action. A hole in the suction cup islocated so that when the rod is fully depressed the rubber surroundingthe hole prevents air from entering the cup, but. when the rod isslightly elevated. air enters the cup through the hole. breaking thevacuum and preventing floor tiles from being pulled off the floor. Thedevice may be attached to gurneys. wheelchairs and other wheeledequipment.

5 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures ANCHORING DEVICE FOR HOSPITAL BED Thisinvention relates to a new and improved anchoring device for hospitalbeds.

One of the problems in hospital and convalescent homes is the danger ofpatients attempting to climb into beds. the beds rolling away from thepatient, andthe patient falling and injuring himself. This is aparticular problem in that hospital beds are usually high off the ground(compared with residence beds) and are mounted on freely moving castersto facilitate the work of nurses and attendants. Although the castersare usually provided with brakes, the brakes frequently do not hold,with the result that as the patient tries to climb into bed whileunattended the bed rolls away.

Accordingly, a principal object of the present invention is to provide adevice to detachablyanchor a bed to the floor and to latch the device inanchoring position.

A further object of the invention is toprovide a device which is easilymoved between activatedand retracted positions with little manual effortrequired. F urther, a latch provides a visible indication to anattendant, even at a distance, whether the device is in activated orretracted position so that if it is in the latter position the attendantmay warn a patient attempting to climb into a bed.

Another feature of the invention is the fact that the device may beeasily attached to standard hospital beds either at the footboard orother convenient location without modification of the bed. When thedevice is deactivated, the bed can be rolled around in the same manneras conventional beds.

Another feature of the invention is the provision of a suction cup onthe lower end of the device which anchors the device and hence the bedto the floor. The cup has a hole in the skirt which releases the suctionwhen the device is only partly deactivated. This novel feature of thesuction device prevents floor tiles from being pulled off the floor asthe device is being deactivated and the suction cup is being raised.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent upon readingthe following specification and referring to the accompanying drawingsin which similar characters of reference represent corresponding partsin each of the several views.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary prospective view of a hospital bed with thedevice installed and in operative position.

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the device in retractedposition.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view through the device.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the suction cup broken away insection to reveal internal construction with the cup in retractedposition.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 showing the suction cup in activatedposition.

Hospital bed 11 is normally provided with casters 12 on the lower endsof the legs, these being frequently provided with brakes (not shown)which are replaced or supplemented by the present invention. Theattachment 14 of the present invention is shown fixed to the footboard13 or other convenient position on the bed.

Attachment 14 has a casing 16 which is here shown to be made of squaretubing. In the back 17 of the easing 16 two series of tapped holes 18are provided for height,adjustment of the device to accommodate beds ofdifferent heights. Brackets 19 are attached to the back 17 by means ofscrews'21 which fit into the appropriate holes 18; The brackets 19are-themselvesattached to footboard l3 by means ofscrews 22.

Vertically slidable within casing 16 is a rod 26 which extends outthrough plug 27 at the top and plug 28 at the bottom. Plugs 27 andr28are secured in position in casing 16 by means of bolts 29. Welded orotherwise attached to rod 26 is a handle 27 projecting radially thereofand provided with a'knob 32 :at its outer end. The front of casing 16 isformed with avvertical slot 33 through which the handle 31 projects andthe sides of casing 16 on either side'of the bottom ofslot1-3 are formedwith side slots 34. Within casing 16 and bearing against bottom plug 29is a helical spring 36 wound around rod 26 and bearing against a washer37 held in place on rod 26'by cotter pin 38 or other convenient means.Thus spring 36 biases handle 31' upwardly in slot 33.

On the bottom of rod 26 is suction cup 41 which has ferrule 42 onitsupper end. Pin 43 extending from the bottom end of rod 26' extendsthrough the top 44 of cup 41 into the hollow of the cup and is attachedthereto by fastener 46. Depending from'top 44 is a skirt 47 which isflexible and is preferably provided with a hole48 adjacent but spacedinward from its perimeter.

In use, when the device is in retracted position as shown in FIGS. 2, 3and 4, the bed 11 may be moved around on its casters 12 withoutinterference. When it is necessary to anchor the bed 11 to the floor,the attendant (or patient) depresses handle 31 to the bottom of slot 33and then turns it in either direction in one of side slots 34 to theposition shown in FIG. 1. This latches rod 26 in down position. When therod 26 is thus depressed, the skirt 47 of cup 41 is distorted andflattened as shown in FIG. 5. It is important to note that the hole 48is out of communication with the interior of the cup because the rubbersurrounding hole 48 is flattened against the floor. As thus positioned(see FIG. 1) the device 14 is anchored to the floor and the bed 11 islikewise anchored. Thus patients trying to climb into the bed 11 are notendangered by the bed rolling away on the casters 12.

When it is necessary to move the bed, the attendant turns the handle 31to its outward projecting position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 and the spring36 (which may or may not be assisted by manual movement of theattendant) raises the cup 41 to the position of FIG. 4. It will be seenthat shortly after the cup 41 begins to be elevated the hole 48 openscommunication between the interior of the cup and the atmosphere.Hospital rooms frequently have floor tiles of various types and there isa possibility, were it not for the hole 48, that raising the cup 41 fromthe depressed position of FIG. 5 to the elevated position of FIG. 4might pull the tiles on the floor off. The hole 48 prevents this fromoccurring.

An attendant or the patient may easily observe whether the handle 31 isprojecting out as shown in FIG. 13 or parallel to the footboard 13 asshown in FIG. 1 and thus have the opportunity to warn the patient ofdanger.

The term bed has been used in the foregoing description and appendedclaims and a hospital bed is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.This term is intended to include other wheeled equipment, includingwheelchairs and gurneys.

What is claimed is:

l. A device to restrain unintentional movement of a bed or the likerelative to the floor comprising a casing formed with a verticallyextending first slot, bracket means to attach said casing to said bed, arod vertically slideable within said casing between an operative and aretracted position, a handle on said rod extending out of said slot formanual movement of said rod between retracted and operative positions,latch means on said handle and said casing to hold said rod in operativeposition, and floor-engaging means on the lower end of said rod tosecure said rod to the floor, said latch means comprising at least oneside slot communicating with the lower end of said first slot, wherebywhen said rod is in operative position said handle may be turned toenter said side slot and said rod will not move to retracted positionuntil said handle is turned to its original direction.

2. A device according to claim 1 in which said casing is formed on itsback with a series of vertically spaced tapped holes and said bracketmeans includes a screw to engage one of said holes whereby the height ofsaid casing from the floor may be varied.

3. A device according to claim 1 which further comprises a spring insaid casing biasing said rod to retracted position.

4. A device according to claim 1 in which said floorengaging meanscomprises a flexible suction cup attached to the lower end of said rod.

5. A device to restrain unintentional movement of a bed or the likerelative to the floor comprising a casing formed with a verticallyextending slot, bracket means to attach said casing to said bed, a rodvertically slideable within said casing between an operative and aretracted position, a handle on said rod extending out of said slot formanual movement of said rod between retracted and operative positions,latch means on said handle and said casing to hold said rod in operativeposition, and a flexible suction cup on the lower end of said rod tosecure said rod to the floor, said cup having a skirt formed with a holespaced inward from the peripheral edge of said skirt, whereby when saidcup is fully depressed the interior of said cup is sealed off fromatmosphere by the material of said cup surrounding said hole and whensaid cup is partly elevated the skirt flexes so that said hole is partlyraised from the floor to break the vacuum in said cup and preventfurther raising of said cup from pulling up tiles on said floor.

1. A device to restrain unintentional movement of a bed or the likerelative to the floor comprising a casing formed with a verticallyextending first slot, bracket means to attach said casing to said bed, arod vertically slideable within said casing between an operative and aretracted position, a handle on said rod extending out of said slot formanual movement of said rod between retracted and operative positions,latch means on said handle and said casing to hold said rod in operativeposition, and floor-engaging means on the lower end of said rod tosecure said rod to the floor, said latch means comprising at least oneside slot communicating with the lower end of said first slot, wherebywhen said rod is in operative position said handle may be turned toenter said side slot and said rod will not move to retracted positionuntil said handle is turned to its original direction.
 1. A device torestrain unintentional movement of a bed or the like relative to thefloor comprising a casing formed with a vertically extending first slot,bracket means to attach said casing to said bed, a rod verticallyslideable within said casing between an operative and a retractedposition, a handle on said rod extending out of said slot for manualmovement of said rod between retracted and operative positions, latchmeans on said handle and said casing to hold said rod in operativeposition, and floor-engaging means on the lower end of said rod tosecure said rod to the floor, said latch means comprising at least oneside slot communicating with the lower end of said first slot, wherebywhen said rod is in operative position said handle may be turned toenter said side slot and said rod will not move to retracted positionuntil said handle is turned to its original direction.
 2. A deviceaccording to claim 1 in which said casing is formed on its back with aseries of vertically spaced tapped holes and said bracket means includesa screw to engage one of said holes whereby the height of said casingfrom the floor may be varied.
 3. A device according to claim 1 whichfurther comprises a spring in said casing biasing said rod to retractedposition.
 4. A device according to claim 1 in which said floor-engagingmeans comprises a flexible suction cup attached to the lower end of saidrod.